Theories of Religion - Period 1

In this course we explore how religious studies came to be a field of its own accord. When religion first became a topic of scholarly interest, it was often in relation to other (?more important?) phenomena such as the working of the human mind, culture in general, or the economy. The study of religion was therefore spread over disciplines as varying as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and economics. It may not come as a surprise that a widely accepted definition of religion is lacking. In fact, as will be discussed in-depth in this course, the question of definition is also a question of who gets to define, that is, who gets to authoritatively speak about the phenomenon known as religion. Who gets to distinguish religion from (for instance) spirituality, sacred from profane, and religious thought from religious embodied practice? Current debates in religious studies address precisely these questions, increasingly drawing attention to the fact that the study of religion has gendered, racialized and (post)colonial dimensions. This course will thus introduce the theories of the founding thinkers in religious studies, as well as contemporary discussions in which their legacy is sometimes criticized and rejected, while at other times it is reintroduced in innovative ways.

Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.